What would you change to make Whyte Avenue safer for cyclists, pedestrians and transit riders?

The Edmonton Bicycle Commuters, the Old Strathcona business association and community league created a focus group on that question after 21-year-old Isaac Kornelsen was killed on Whyte Avenue in August. They’re holding a public brainstorming session Nov. 8 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Old Strathcona Community League Hall.

City staff will be there as well, with print outs of the different routes and changes being considered.

I’m glad. That was such an awful accident. I hope it can lead to a good, careful consideration of how to make that major transportation route work better for everyone.

I expect there will be considerable debate about whether to build a bike boulevard with traffic circles and bike right-of-ways one block off Whyte Avenue, or whether something should be done on the Avenue itself.

For more information on the public session, check the event on the Edmonton Bicycle Commuters’ Facebook page.

Of note, there is also a bike infrastructure discussion being sponsored by the student group Campus 2 Campus Friday Nov. 2 at 1 p.m. in the University of Alberta student union building. Coun. Ben Henderson will be speaking.

If you are interested in joining the Whyte Avenue focus group, they are meeting this Saturday to define their goals and make an action plan. More on that here.

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